Aspen
Building Approvals Remain in Place for the Second Phase Through 2014
Construction of the Dancing Bear Private Residence Club is anticipated to resume in July, Council member Adam
Frisch and the Aspen City Council also expect to review a redevelopment application submitted by the
Boomerang Lodge. Frisch also hopes it will spur activity at nearby Lift 1A, where a town-home development
project was approved in November but has yet to break ground. “I think it’s a great testament to Aspen as a
community and the economy overall that the project in the developer’s eyes is economically viable again,”
According to MLS.com real estate statistics, there were 347 residential real estate transactions in Aspen in 2013,
109 of which were fractional-ownership purchases.
Aspen Club’s Redevelopment Breaks Ground this Summer
A $65 million project to redevelop the Aspen Club and Spa through the construction of 20 timeshare condos
positioning the facility as a wellness retreat will break ground this summer, according to club owner Michael
Fox. The project was approved by Aspen City Council in June, 2010.
City Approved Parcel Purchase for a Mountainside Park
A longtime local family has agreed to sell their property in the heart of Aspen’s mountainside lodging district to
the city government, on the condition that it become a community park.
Aspen City Council unanimously approved a contract to buy the .63-acre Dolinsek parcel, located on South
Monarch Street adjacent to Lift One and Willoughby parks, for $2.5 million. The family is adamant that the land
be preserved for a park and not be given over to private development. Per the proposed purchase agreement,
the land would be called Dolinsek Park.
New Sign Code Adopted in Aspen
A new Sign Code has been adopted in the City of Aspen, known as Ordinance No. 17 (series of 2010). The
purpose of the amendment was to simplify and streamline the Sign Code so that businesses and City staff could
better understand and administer the regulations. The Sign Code is now more user-friendly and includes
illustrations and tables to assist the user.
White River Forest budget down 18 percent
The budget for the vast national forest surrounding Aspen is down $4.24 million, or 18 percent, in 2014 from the
prior year, according to data acquired Thursday from the U.S. Forest Service.
The White River National Forest, which hosts the most recreation visits of any forest in the nation, has a budget
of $18.37 million in 2014 compared to $22.61 million last year.
In addition, the budget tumbled almost 40 percent from the money allocated in both 2009 and 2010. Those
budgets were swollen with special funding for “fuels reduction” projects to battle the bark beetle epidemic in
Summit County.
CLOSED – Face Lift for Gondola Plaza
Aspen Gondola Plaza intersection will be closed for six weeks for planned $616,000 pedestrian-safety
improvement project. 4/21 through May 31st.
Delta Suspends Aspen Service until Winter ’14
After launching new nonstop service to Aspen from Atlanta and Minneapolis/St. Paul in December, Delta Air
Lines will sit out the summer here but is planning to return in winter 2014.
New Mountain Rescue Aspen Headquarters Nearly Finished
Mountain Rescue Aspen’s new facility near the Airport Business Center is nearly complete, along with the search
and rescue nonprofit’s 45-ft-tall training tower which will allow members to test equipment in a safe, controlled
environment and keep their skills sharp for backcountry missions, officials said.